Pleistocene environmental dynamics recorded in the loess of the middle and lower Danube basin

► 1 Ma of palaeoenvironmental change interpreted from SE Europe loess deposits. ► Middle and lower Danube loess preserves continuous record of environmental change. ► Relative environmental stability possibly important for hominin migration. ► Early forested loess shifted to more steppic, arid environments after ∼500 ka. ► Teleconnections with the North Atlantic circulation cannot always be identified.